East Coast Railway runs 367 special trains during festive season

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], October 22 (ANI): As the nation immerses in the festive season, the Railways are ensuring that people can easily reach their home towns with nearly 12000 special trains being commissioned to meet the festive Rush. Of these the East Coast Raiway is operating 367 special trains, according to General Manager of East Coast Railway (ECoR) Parmeshwar Funkwal.
"Under the guidelines of the Railways Minister, over 12,000 special trains are running in the country. East Coast Railway is running 367 special trains. So far, 76 special trains have been started, and over 78,000 passengers have taken the benefit of these trains. RPF and other officers are present at all railway stations to ensure that no untoward incidents occur due to overcrowding. Over 900 CCTV cameras are working at our railway stations to monitor the situation," Funkwal said.
To cater to the expected surge in passenger traffic for festivals like Chhath, Railways plans to operate around 8,000 more special trains in the coming days, the release from CPRO Northern Railway said.
On Tuesday, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reviewed the preparedness and ensured smooth travel arrangements for passengers. He visited the New Delhi Railway Station for an on-ground assessment of the arrangements made by the Railways during this festive season.
Indian Railways is operating at full strength to ensure passengers' smooth and comfortable travel during the festive rush. In addition to regular train services, IR successfully operated 3,960 special trains between 1 October and 19 October to meet the increased travel demand during the festive period.
These special trains are being run across all zones of Indian Railways, with Northern Railway (1919 trains), Central Railway (1998 trains), and Western Railway (1501 trains) operating the highest numbers. Other zones, including East Central Railway (1217) and North Western Railway (1217), have also deployed additional services to meet regional travel requirements, a release stated.
Between October 1 and October 19, more than one crore passengers have already been facilitated by these special services. The management of passenger movement has been streamlined across stations, with the provision of dedicated holding areas, additional ticket counters, potable water facilities, and clean washrooms to ensure a comfortable travel experience. (ANI)